Build thread - Resurrection of an old Contemporary

[767Jockey]

Well, I've just had a health issue that has me out of work for the next few months, and I'm already going stir crazy and need something to do. I figured what the heck, everyone is putting their build threads up, how about something just a little bit different - a restoration by a first timer of an old Cobra by a company that isn't around any more - Contemporary. Hey, even if no one reads this, it'll give me something to do!

For background, I have wanted a Cobra for years, and could never financially do it. You see, I have this problem - I want what I want, and I will not settle for less. If I can't afford what I want, I wait and wait until I can. For me, I want a Cobra with a accurate body, a round tube frame, IRS, FE engine, etc. Looking at what was out there, that leaves me Shelby, Kirkham, Roger Bolick, and.......that's about it. I really like ERA's and can almost overlook the square frame, but even so it's out of my price range, as are the rest of them, at least at the time I made my decision.

Anyway, while I'm weighing all this out in my head about 2 years ago, I'm eating breakfast one morning looking at the local paper. I never look at the used car ads, but for some reason I still don't understand, this particular morning I did. What do I see, a Contemporary cobra for sale for $25K. Yep, you got it - round tube frame, accurate body, IRS.....I read the ad, it's got a 351C and a C4 automatic. I start thinking about this, and start envisioning a project. Why not buy the beast, tear it down to the frame rails and start over? It'll cure my desire to get my hands on a Cobra, and get me started. I can work into it as I raise the funds.

Off I go to look at it, and as I expect, it's just horrible, a rat. However, it's solid. Everything that is bad about it I would replace anyway. The engine is filthy, but it'll go anyway. The automatic? I treat it like a disease, it has to go ASAP. The interior is laughable, horrible navy blue cheap vinyl EVERYWHERE - even on the floor and tunnel. But, the car is solid. Proper Smiths gauges, the suspension looks great, the frame is perfect, the body is perfect except for a molded in scoop and horrible paint (sort of a semi gloss white with bright electric blue Le Mans stripes - UGH!) So, I do what any severely infected Cobra addict would do. I negotiate with the guy, and we settle on $21K -I am now the proud owner of one of the ugliest Cobras on Earth, but with the chance to be a beauty. Here are some shots of this horror on wheels the day I took it home, lets hope I can figure out now how to post pictures.......
Damn, was this thing ugly! I don't like bolt on wheels, but as bolt on wheels go, these were nice ones, and I sold them quickly. Hope you're enjoying them, Hugo! Note the pristine engine compartment (UGH), and the high class navy blue vinyl everywhere interior! The guy I bought this from was hysterical - he knew absolutely NOTHING about the car. I mean, guys, he didn't even know what engine was in it. I mean he knew absolutely NOTHING!

[elmariachi]

Cool. But I have seen all your authenticity/originality threads, so let's see some NOW pics.

[767Jockey]

So, the guy agrees to deliver the car on the coldest day yet of the year - January 17, 2007. The darn thing barely runs, the carb is so bad. He brings it over, I pay him and drive him home, about 30 minutes away. I get back to the house about 4:00 PM just as it's getting dark. I have two daughters, I drive them each to the corner and back in the unregistered car, and pull it in the garage. It's now about 4:20 PM. By 7:00 PM the engine is on the garage floor, and the C4 is at the curb where it belongs. I reckon it took me about 1 hour longer than it should have to get the darned C4 out of my garage!

To this day, those two trips to the corner are the only time I have ever driven this car. Within a few days, the suspension is out of the car, it's just a body on frame rails. Now I stop and decide where I want to go with this thing. I know the suspension needs to be rebuilt, so it comes off the car with no doubts, the engine has to go, the automatic, to me, is the automotive equivalent of Ebola, that's a no brainer. This car was filthy, I have never been this dirty in my life. I take some time and really try to decide where to proceed with this. Do I want to just clean it up, warm up the 351C, drop a standard transmission behind is, new rubber in the suspension, just freshen the whole thing up and go? Or do I want to take it down to the most basic level and start over like a brand new kit? Well, being the stubborn idiot that I am, I decide to go whole hog on this thing.

I had a set of 351 Cleveland 4V heads that I had bought back when I was thinking of keeping the Cleveland engine in the car. They were a great deal, and I jumped on them figuring that even if I didn't use them I could sell them or trade them for something. They were nice heads. Sure enough, after I decided to go with a FE I advertised the heads for sale, and I got a call asking me if I would like to trade the heads for a somewhat worn but complete 390GT engine. I thought about that for at least half a second and made the deal. I had my FE mule.

At this point the body is still on the frame, and I call in my ace, my good friend Nick Acton (Mickmate). I bribe him with the ability to come and see my dog Max, and Nick agrees to come down from the frozen tundra of New Hampshire with a pickup loaded with his welder and all sorts of supplies. He stays on Long Island for a few days and we enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner together, playing with the dog, talking to the family, and in between this getting some work done. We use the 390GT as a "dummy" engine, bolt the Tremec TKO600 to the Quick Time bellhousing and then the whole assembly to the 390, and use it to mock up the perfect engine position, placement, angle, etc. I purchase a set of Contemporary FE header pipes from Cobra Restorers, and they fit perfectly. Once we have the engine perfectly positioned in the frame, the pipes right at the body cutouts as they should be, Nick fabs up a perfectly accurate set of FE mounts and cuts out the 351C mounts. By the time he drives away, I have a perfectly accurate set of FE mounts welded into my car. Guys, no kidding here, if you want top notch custom work done by a top notch guy, Nick is your man. He also fabricated for me a beautiful Stainless Steel rollbar which I had drilled the body for prior to his arrival (Talk about stress - at this point I didn't know if I wanted to paint the car or not, so I was trying not to make any mistakes. Believe it or not, I didn't make any, the holes were about perfect.).

Nick welded in the mounts for that while he was here as well. I wasn't planning on this thread at the time so I have no pictures, but this is how it happened, trust me!

[767Jockey]

So, again going with my obsessive compulsive all or nothing style, I decide the body is coming off, it's getting painted. I send out the body on April 5th, 2008, with the promise that I will have it back in 12 weeks.

How did that go? I expect delivery tomorrow - February 12, 2009. Just a WEE bit more than 12 weeks, huh? However, I saw the finished body today, they did an awesome job! I'll get into more of that later, however.

At this point in the story I have bare frame rails at home and little else. I strip the frame rails down, and there is not a single bolt left on the chassis. Every single bolt on this car will be brand new when I am done, either Grade 8 if it is structural, or stainless if it is not (things like body to frame, door hinges, etc.) I start from the ground up. The Contemporary frame is a beauty. I can't imagine what the level of this car would be today had they stayed in business and developed the product over the years as ERA has. I imagine you'd be looking at a round tube ERA. Anyway, it's still a REALLY nice car. My car has the torsion bar Jag front end in it, and the Jag rear IRS. The problem with this restoration is that I don't want the car to be just as it was. My car was built December 28, 1983, and carries body # 112. That means that it is one of the earliest Contemporary's built, and if I have my numbering down, is the 12th body they built. We're talking a REALLY early car here. Anyway, my vision is to make this car what I think it would have been if Contemporary had stayed in business, essentially I want to bring this car as close as I can to a round tube ERA. That's essentially the build philosophy this time around. The problem is, the car is an orphan.

I don't have the luxury of calling the factory for parts and support. I use the usual supply places like Cobra Restorers, Enzo over at Finishline, etc. The Kirkham's have been wonderful in supplying me with some parts, I couldn't ask for better. ERA, unfortunately, wants nothing to do with selling me parts. Oh well, when it comes time for a new car, you can expect to see me cash in hand in Utah - the Kirkham brothers are a class act. Meanwhile the Contemporary factory is still doing it's best Sinatra impersonation......dead. Therefore, enter the Contemporary Owners Group, founded and run by the erstwhile Jeff Gagnon ("1985 CCX" here on CC....I hope I got that CC name right, Jeff) We're a small band of CCX lunatics dedicated to the marque. Why? Hell if I know.....where else do you go if you want a round tube glass bodied car? Roger Bolick makes a beautiful carbon fiber bodied car, but he's in limited production, and his car would be well over my budget at this point, although I sure have my hopes up to purchase either one of his beautiful cars or a Kirkham in the future. Shelby glass cars, at the time, were years behind in delivery.

Anyway, the CCX owners group is a support group founded out of necessity, as we have no factory support. The guys have been a phenomenal support for me as I poke my way through this. This is my first full blown car project since I was 18 (I'm 50 now), and aside from Nick's visit I have done absolutely everything on my own - alone. The only other help I had was from two nephews who helped me lift the body off the frame. It has definitely moved along at a snails pace, but I am enjoying it.

I made a blasting booth out of plywood, and used an old Sears plastic hopper sandblaster setup that I have had for years to drive it. It's ugly but works like a charm. I have bead blasted and repainted everything on this car that will be reused. All suspension pieces have been blasted and powder coated, new Grade 8 hardware installed, polyurethane bushings installed, ball joints, bearings, you name it. It's all been replaced, painted, powder coated, new bushings, bearings, etc....When it's done this will truly be a brand new car.

[767Jockey]

Next came the decision on the engine. I had just upgraded to Captain (I'm an airline pilot), and with the promotion comes a fairly healthy pay increase. I decided to treat myself and go for an honest to goodness 427 Sideoiler. I had previously scored a heavy webbed 390 block (not the 390 GT engine, that's a separate entity). I still have the complete 390GT, as well as the heavy webbed 390 truck block, but it's time to decide on what the Sideoiler will have in it. I talk with Keith Craft, and also with a very experienced very well respected local FE specialist. To make a long story short, I decide to source the parts and design from Keith, and have it built locally. To me it's the best of both worlds - I get Keith's knowledge and access to the latest and greatest technology, and I get my local builder's knowledge, experience and his being right here 10 minutes away if I have any problems.

Here's what I end up with - I buy a standard bore hardly used Ford sideoiler block from the builder, and he also supplies the Scat steel stroker crank, "H" beam roods, and forged custom Diamond pistons. It's be a 482" engine after it's bored .030", with a 10 1/2 to 10 3/4 compression ratio. Keith supplies the Stage 2 Edelbrock heads, the solid roller cam, port matches the Performer RPM manifold to his heads, he supplies a custom curved MSD distributor and Quick Fuel 950 carb. I have Quick Fuel custom build the carb for me without all their normal red "bling" on it - it looks just like a regular Holley. I then buy a pair of brand new Le Mans bowls from Carl's Ford Parts and transfer them over to the Quick Fuel carb, along with the bigger accelerator pumps from the Quick Fuel bowls. I have the builder grind the Edelbrock markings from the Performer RPM intake and also from the Edelbrock aluminum water pump, and he then re bead blasts them, so they look perfect with no markings on them. He also fabs up for me a original looking fuel log.

I have Nick Acton (you'll hear his name VERY often in this blog, he's just incredibly talented) take my Turkey pan and make it removable - the base stays under the carb, just the sides come off. Unlike the one the Kirkham's just introduced (a very nice piece, by the way) this pan looks completely original when on the car. It has a rolled top edge and everything. If you're interested, Nick is starting to produce these. He can either modify yours, or supply one outright. Give him a call. I find a period correct three wire alternator, and bring it to an old Mom and Pop electrical shop here by me. They've been around forever. They restore it to original look, it looks just like new. However, they take the 60 amp guts and upgrade them to 90 amps, while maintaining the exact original look. The charge for this? Less than $100! I also find a reproduction voltage regulator with the Autolite cover on it. It's a mechanical regulator, I carefully drill out the cover rivets, and mount the cover to a modern solid state regulator. I should have all the electrical power I need, with a very original look. I realize that the Contemporary, while somewhat close, will never repicate the original car like some can do with an early Kirkham, or some like Sal can do with a Shelby glass car. I just try to do the little things to make it as nice and original as I can. It'll never be perfect, but it'll be really nice.

Anyway, according to Keith, this engine combo that I have usually dyno's well north of 600HP and torque. That should move this little bugger along quite briskly. Of course, once I commit to spending all this money and it's too late to turn back, the world oil crisis hits, followed by the economic crisis, and my airline downsizes. That means I get bumped back to co-pilot, and the nice raise goes away. Ouch, that hurts. Oh well, gotta keep going, right?

[767Jockey]

So, once all this stuff is ordered and on it's way, it's time to turn back to the car. All the de-greasing, blasting, stripping, painting, etc... is finally over, and FINALLY it's time to start assembling the beast. The first thing that gets completed is the passengers front suspension. I find an article in a Jaguar XKE forum about an inexpensive upgrade from the archaic Series 1 XKE Dunlop calipers to modern Wilwood 4 piston units. This upgrade requires the fabrication of a milled billet caliper bracket. I send the specs off to Nick Acton, and a week later, like magic, these two works of art come to me in a brown truck.


I don't have a good picture of just how horrible the suspension looked before, but here is the passengers front side now, not yet complete but close:


Obviously I have not documented the teardown and preparation of the car adequately with photos, but from here forward I'll certainly do better, as I have plenty of time on my hands now.

In summary going forward, here's where I'm at now. The body gets delivered from paint tomorrow afternoon. The engine has been promised to me within two weeks. The sidepipes went out to Nick today for new Classic Chambered 3" core glasspacks to be installed and the whole assembly ceramic coated. The right front suspension is almost complete, and the left front is very close behind. I'm waiting on the rear sway bar setup, engineered by Speedway Engineering. Once that comes I can finish the rear suspension. I'm close enough on the suspension that once all the parts are on hand I can finish it all in one days work. From that point on I have to bend up the stainless steel brake lines, the 1/2" fuel lines, and move forward from there. Pictures of the body tomorrow. Hopefully if nothing else you Contemporary guys may find some of this interesting.

[767Jockey]

Originally Posted by elmariachi

Cool. But I have seen all your authenticity/originality threads, so let's see some NOW pics.

El M',
Hopefully you're not disappointed. I'll try to be as original as possible within the constraints of the Contemporary and budget. Some parts will be relatively close, some, like the suspension will not even be in the ballpark. It's tough to make a XKE rear and XKE torsion bar front suspension look original. It's easier with the body and underhood area. In the end, it's all fun.

[mrmustang]

I've been waiting for pictures and the write up....Good deal plus good friends, equals a good time building and rebuilding. The best times you'll have is when you turn the key and ease the car out of the garage under it's own power for the first time. Keep up the great work.


Bill S.

[elmariachi]

Originally Posted by 767Jockey

El M', Hopefully you're not disappointed.

NO WAY! Having been involved now for a month rebuilding Hurricane #6, I can fully understand and appreciate both your story AND progress. This is a great thread/build, keep the posts and pictures coming.

[cscobra]

An outstanding thread--your story is inspiring. Keep the progress notes coming.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by cscobra

An outstanding thread--your story is inspiring. Keep the progress notes coming.

Agreed, and I'm still laughing at the slight to ERA.

[Bob Perry]

Doug ,How cool i am very happy for you it seems like just yesterday we were spilling beer in seattle talking cobras. I had ol Blue out yesterday for a nice drive.good luck and call next time you are seattle...

[RodKnock]

What a wonderful story and a great deal on the car. $21K for a Contenporary? Wow! Thank you for sharing and keep us posted on the progress.

Maybe you're keeping it a secret for later in the build thread, but what color(s) did you choose for your car? What about wheels?

[Got the Bug]

Doug - Great read! Keep posting pics of your progress and get well soon.

[khansmith]

outstanding! Can't wait to read what you do next.

[767Jockey]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Agreed, and I'm still laughing at the slight to ERA.

No slight intended, they build a fine product. They want no part of selling me parts, they can't seem to get off the phone fast enough. I understand their position, I'm not criticizing them, it just is what it is. I don't want to lose this thread into a pissin' contest about ERA. I love their cars. I needed parts, they wouldn't sell to me. That's all there is to it.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by 767Jockey

No slight intended, they build a fine product. They want no part of selling me parts, they can't seem to get off the phone fast enough. I understand their position, I'm not criticizing them, it just is what it is. I don't want to lose this thread into a pissin' contest about ERA. I love their cars. I needed parts, they wouldn't sell to me. That's all there is to it.

OK, uhhh, maybe if you landed safely in the Hudson?

[aks801]

Great build thread so far!!! Chances are pretty darn good I won't be buying a Contemporary, but this is great stuff for any "roadster" fan.

Sure looking forward to seeing pics of that newly painted body being delivered.

[767Jockey]

Originally Posted by patrickt

OK, uhhh, maybe if you landed safely in the Hudson?

Then I'd make enough money from speaking engagements that I'd be knocking on the Kirkham's door right now!

[767Jockey]

Originally Posted by aks801

Great build thread so far!!! Chances are pretty darn good I won't be buying a Contemporary, but this is great stuff for any "roadster" fan.

Sure looking forward to seeing pics of that newly painted body being delivered.

I'm waiting for the truck as I write this.